


The Companion

by limeta



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Voldemort Wins, BAMF Bellatrix Black Lestrange, BAMF Ginny Weasley, Death Eaters, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, POV Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Post-First War with Voldemort, Professor Tom Riddle, Pureblood Culture (Harry Potter), Sane Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Voldemort needs therapy, Women Being Awesome, Women In Power
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:34:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24512416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/limeta/pseuds/limeta
Summary: The Death Eaters win in 1981. Due to a series of unforeseeable events, Bellatrix Lestrange winds up becoming the Supreme Leader of the new world. She soon becomes sick of it and decides to flee to the continent with Ginny Weasley, her intern and lover. Professor Voldemort is quite displeased to find out he has to run the world he fought a war for.
Relationships: Abraxas Malfoy/Tom Riddle, Bellatrix Black Lestrange & Voldemort, Bellatrix Black Lestrange/Ginny Weasley, Bellatrix Black Lestrange/Rita Skeeter, Hermione Granger/Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Sirius Black & Bellatrix Black Lestrange
Comments: 10
Kudos: 30
Collections: Solstice Flashfest





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tennesseebedward](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tennesseebedward/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [tennesseebedward](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tennesseebedward/pseuds/tennesseebedward) in the [Solstice_Flashfest](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Solstice_Flashfest) collection. 



> **Prompt:**  
>  Rita Skeeter wants to get an interview with the Dark Lord, but she has to go through Bellatrix "de-facto PR manager for Death Eaters" Lestrange first.
> 
>   
> bedward, sweetie: i do apologize but they're very minor

Bellatrix Lestrange was... exhausted. 

During the first couple of years since their outstanding victory against the Order, Bellatrix Lestrange was gradually turning into a prop to appear in meetings and in front of the press. It was a show of faith from her lord, to give her the authority to tell everyone the plans their regime had in store for the world. It was supposed to be a great honour. 

Lord Voldemort didn’t make a habit of appearing anymore. Not since Richard Skeeter had called his poor choices and rhetoric out (and as much as they all wanted to be able to kill nosy press, it would be against this new free world they were propagating was coming with their ascent to power - besides, the Magical Union of Europe did tell them that if they wanted to keep their regime they had to adhere to the same laws as any Ministry) 

This entire situation had put a lot of stress on Lord Voldemort. So much stress, in fact, that he disappeared for a full week without a moment’s notice. Abraxas Malfoy (confidant) and Bellatrix Lestrange (PR and right-hand that was slowly turning into a de-facto interim Dark Lady) had to scramble to pull everything together all while avoiding needling questions about their lord’s actual whereabouts. 

‘’Our lord is not feeling very well and has -’’

‘’Our lord is under the weather -’’

‘’Our lord is -’’

‘’Our lord -’’

‘’Our -’’

Bellatrix was truly beginning to believe that he wasn’t their lord anymore. That he was theirs, but not hers anymore. Because she hadn’t fought in a war alongside someone who was this big of a prick. 

Abraxas found him trying to collect some items of his (cough horcruxes cough) in an attempt to flee the country and never return to such crushing responsibility. 

Apparently he picked the early 80s to have an identity crisis. Bellatrix’s respect for this man in front of her was dwindling the more he spoke. 

The reality of the post-war world had ruined the victory for him. Once Voldemort had said to her that he never expected such bloodthirstiness from the reporters. Bella shrugged and said that Skeeter wasn’t bloodthirsty because she was a reporter, but that she was a reporter because she was bloodthirsty.

This had made the Dark Lord appoint her his successor. Bellatrix hated him at that moment. He just shooed her away to get clawed at by the reporters.

’’You’re a cunt, my lord!’’ She, as his General, afforded herself many liberties. 

’’I’ll never be as big as the one you are, dearest General.’’ He didn’t mind as long as it was only them two when they undermined each other. In a strange sort of way, Bella would almost call them friends and not master and servant. 

Not long into their victory - not long after his attempt to flee the country he decided on another route instead. Voldemort fled off to Hogwarts to live out his days as a professor. 

Bellatrix called him a bloody coward. He called her many worse things. 

But the thing was… that they would not have won had Bellatrix not killed Dumbledore. She still had his wand somewhere. Not that she cared much for it. Maybe she’d give it away to someone that would like it better. To her it only brought memories of battle and filled her nights with restlessness. How she _missed_ it. 

In the passing years a lot of strange things happened. Abraxas Malfoy married Minerva McGonagall (yes, that had happened and Bellatrix was still reeling). Though, as a wedding gift to Minerva and a peace offering she did give her Albus Dumbledore’s wand. It didn’t do her any good and it might be a cruel mementor to keep for the woman. 

Gellert Grindelwald escaped prison and decided to kill the man (woman, actually - cough Bellatrix cough) that had ended his precious Albus’ life. For some strange and unexpectedly condescending reason Grindelwald targeted Voldemort. 

And Bella killed him, too. She was quite competent, actually. A lot more than she first gave herself credit for. 

Two men that Voldemort (and when had she stopped calling him her lord, really? It was such a long time ago) could not kill, fell dead at her feet. 

Her government gave her an Order of Merlin, First Class. And the MUE gave her a lot of money and awards for ridding the world of the guy who started World War II. In fact, Bellatrix became a legend because of this. A legend that was in charge of an entire bloody country. Not any of the Irelands thank fuck. If Scotland asked for a referendum, just so Bellatrix would have less responsibility she’d allow them - muggle politics be damned. The wizarding world _never_ abided by their laws. 

Voldemort continued being a piss poor excuse for a Dark Lord (he’d even gone as far as to say that due to the current climate of the world he’d retire that title, as well). Bellatrix wondered what had possessed her all of those years ago to willingly give her life for someone so spineless. 

He enjoyed teaching. It was his life’s passion. Bellatrix’s life passion wasn’t leading a country instead of the man that was supposed to do it, but if she wound up deciding to quit there would be pandemonium. And Bellatrix was loyal to her Merlin-be-damned country. She’d made it with her own two hands. 

They were learning to understand their place in the world. Years passed and turned into decades. A good twenty years since 1981 and Belaltrix found that she was **_exhausted_ **.

For gods’ sake she hadn’t even celebrated the new millennium well. 

* * *

Lord Voldemort was wearing Happy 2000 glasses on his face. Bellatrix had pins in her hair that glowed. While everyone was dancing their heart out and counting they were sitting like two ancient statues in the farthest corner and grimacing at their joy. Their bon vivre. 

’’Look at them.’’ Bellatrix gestured.

’’What?’’ Voldemort called out. The music was so terribly loud. 

’’LOOK AT THEM!’’

’’BELLATRIX, I CAN’T HEAR YOU!’’

At this she stood up and stomped away, absolutely angry at the world. War she understood. Battles she understood. This entire farce of a situation they were now in, these politics, these damned administrative duties – they tired her. Being the Leader of the New World while Lord Voldemort fucked off to Hogwarts to teach was not how she imagined any of this going down. 

Outside at the balcony she saw Rita Skeeter. 

Bellatrix didn’t often think of homicide – Voldemort had once told her that needless killing was the mark of someone mad, but the irrational need to kill Skeeter always wound up making Bellatrix feel an itch for destruction. It would all be better if she got rid of Skeeter.

’’How do you do, Rita.’’

’’O esteemed leader, how do _you_ do?’’

Bellatrix scoffed. She placed her elbows on the stone balcony and looked over the dimly lit gardens of Malfoy Manor. 

’’I have news~’’

’’You don’t say? Is it to welcome me into the grand year of 2000?’’

’’Welcome to the grand year of 2000, Bellatrix – now for my real news!’’

Her quill danced. Bellatrix wanted to burn it with her eyes. She wondered if she could. Perhaps she would look into spells like that that could be done wandlessly and silently. 

’’I have a kid!’’

’’Congratulations, Rita, I’m sure it will grow up to be an even worse reporter than you and your father both.’’

Aghast: ’’I am not pregnant!’’

’’Adoption is very noble.’’

Annoyed: ’’I have a kid that works for me and she’s great. She’s very young, but she is incredible. There is a spark in her I see.’’

’’What’s this got to do with me, Rita?’’

’’She’d like to meet you. You’re kind of like her hero.’’

’’How sweet. No.’’

’’All right. I agree that calling you her hero was overselling it. I admit it. She wants to learn combat from you. Reporting isn’t where she’s meant to stay and grow. I see this. You’ll see it to when you meet her.’’

’’I have far too many responsibilities than to take care of a brat on your behest.’’

’’Bellatrix, trust me- she’s way too good to be a bottom feeder.’’

’’Like you?’’

’’Oh, I’m the creme de la creme, now. Don’t be like that.’’ Rita winked. 

Bellatrix shuddered when she remembered that she’d actually fucked this woman once. Twice. Thrice. Too many times. They didn’t like each other by any means. Rita had only fucked her (and what a good fuck she was) in order to gain information on Voldemort - and even an exclusive interview with Slytherin’s Heir. (An utterly preposterous title - House affiliation meant nothing outside of Hogwarts and Dumbledore’s sphere of influence).

’’A girl who wants to ascend beyond her place.’’ Rita whispered. ’’Doesn’t that sound familiar to you?’’

’’Many girls want that. Who is to say this one deserves it? Who is she anyhow?’’

’’I want you to accept before I tell you.’’

’’You want me to go into this blind and regret it?’’

Rita hummed. ’’You won’t~’’

’’You are right I won’t.’’

’’Won’t regret it. Don’t be so stubborn, Bellatrix. I see a lot of you in her. There’s a fire about her that threatens to burn all of my parchments. I can’t have someone like that in my workplace. What is family, really, when the child has been raised to the proper ways through school and then after it?’’

’’A blood traitor’s child.’’ Bellatrix clasped her hands into fists as she turned to snarl at Rita. The woman was not cowed, in fact, she smiled widely at her anger.

’’You have no idea how brilliant she is.’’

’’If she was so brilliant our lord would have snatched her up and presented her already.’’

’’Not to be crass or treasonous –’’

’’Then do not be.’’

’’But-’’

’’Not a good start, Rita.’’

’’Our lord does not... particularly pay attention to women.’’

’’I’m a woman.’’

’’You’re a **_Black_ **.’’

’’She must be subpar.’’

’’Your NEWTs weren’t anything to laud either.’’

’’Rita, shut up.’’ Bellatrix rubbed her temples with her hands and groaned. She leaned forward. Underneath the balcony she spotted Rodolphus Lestrange, her darling husband, kissing Lucius Malfoy. She wondered, briefly, if Cissa knew her husband was being so open about his affair. 

Rita tapped her head. ’’A pensieve is just as deadly as a red-room for developing photographs.’’ She leered at the two men down. Bellatrix would let her. Served them right to be so careless.

Bellatrix did think a little bit about this offer. It would be interesting to have someone other than a simpering elf to fetch her things while working, and if Rita’s description of the girl was any accurate, she would be quite fun to tease and push her pent up rage onto. So, like a regular intern.

’’Is she a halfblood?’’ Not that it mattered. Voldemort was a halfblood. 

’’Nope. Pure as they come. Twenty-Eight, even.’’

’’Hmm...’’

’’All she did wrong was be born in a family of blood traitors. Plus! None of her family actually fought in the war. That’s good.’’

’’It would be unfortunate if we denied promising minds to benefit the regime all because of their family –’’

Hermione Granger, in that moment, managed to blow something up. Bellatrix watched as Lord Voldemort smiled, genuinely happy to see her fail. ’’I TOLD YOU SO!’’ Through the blaring music he shouted. 

’’He’s replaced you with Granger.’’

’’The girl is a genius. He is a genius. If she makes him happy, I don’t mind.’’ Bellatrix really didn’t mind. ‘’Though, I hope he had the decency to pursue her after she graduated.’’

‘’Couldn’t he be her grandfather’s age?’’

‘’What difference does that make anymore? We’re living in a world that has no rules with a lawmaker who wants to make a rule not to bother her and let chaos rain upon them all.’’

‘’My girl is a good lay~’’’

‘’Sweet Circe, Rita, I don’t want to know about your tendency to fuck your interns nor do I want to look at Granger flirting with Voldemort. He’s taken her memories - did you know? If she wants to be in the inner circle she has to give up her family. And with how the Hogwarts curriculum is structured - brainwashing, more like - she grew up learning how muggles don’t deserve to know they have such gifts that are magical children. Or whatever else nonsense we feed them. I find it cruel to keep the children with the muggles for so long. But I got vetoed when I voted to snatch the children away the moment their names appeared on the Hogwarts scroll. Fuckers didn’t want to put as much resources on children that weren’t their own blood. So now Granger’s parading about thinking she was an orphan all her life when only a year ago she was with her muggle parents playing dungeons and dragons - or whatever.’’

Rita’s eyes sparkled. ‘’Was any of that on the record?’’ She purred and leaned forward to kiss Bellatrix’s neck. Bellatrix laughed and pushed her away cruelly. 

‘’Only in your dreams. Don’t make me obliviate you, Rita. You amuse me, but only for so long.’’ Bellatrix’s eyes burned like cinders. 

Rita sighed and decided to oblige Bellatrix, their Leader and Supreme Commander. She pushed herself to sit on the stone wall of the balcony, kicking her legs in a jaunty way. ‘’Do you want to have sex?’’

‘’In exchange for?’’

‘’A couple of orgasams, I figured.’’

The fireworks went off and Bellatrix found out that the laugh she laughed then was the first genuine one in **_years_ **. 

* * *

In her post orgasm high Bellatix finally agreed to the intern. 

When her head cleared up she realised what a fucking manipulator Rita Skeeter was. 

But she was stuck with this now. She’d promised with her magic to accept Ginevra fucking Weasley to tag along with her. Like some simpering first year duckling following along a Head Girl. 

Rita smoked a cigarette and blew smoke out casually. She peeked out from their room’s window and saw Narcissa kicking Lucius out of their house. He was apologizing. She turned hard of hearing. 

‘’Your sister is kicking her husband out.’’

‘’Should I do the same to mine, then?’’

‘’That wholly depends on you.’’ Rita inhaled and exhaled a ring of smoke. 

‘’I think I might send him to Azkaban for cheating on me.’’

Rita choked on her cigarette. ‘’Isn’t that a bit harsh?’’

‘’He did dare to cheat on the Leader of the New World. And with my sister’s husband.’’ Bellatrix snuggled up in the covers and sighed dreamily. ‘’Oh that’s the best New Year’s resolution I could possibly make.’’

‘’What?’’

‘’Not cutting anyone anymore slack.’’

‘’Go Dark Lady.’’

‘’ _Supreme Leader_ , thank you.’’

‘’You’re ever so welcome.’’ Rita winked. 

Bellatrix laughed. ‘’You’re incorrigible.’’

* * *

Ginny Weasley was not the kind of girl Bellatrix thought she would ever have to deal with. Mostly due to the unfortunate and unseemly background she came from, but if she were to regard such things as important she would kick Voldemort out of any grand decision making (why she included him eluded her, perhaps it was respect for an old mentor?) Nevermind. 

None of that mattered anymore. Not while the man was being as transparent as a man with an invisibility cloak. He’d hired Hermione Granger as his DADA teaching assistant. Bellatrix vomited in her mouth at hearing that. Because she knew for a fact the girl wanted to go into Unspeakable work. And Bellatrix had met Hermione Granger multiple times before her memory-wipe - and she was not nearly as biddable as she was now. Oh the fire was still there, the genius was still as prominent as ever - but the rest of her that made her Hermione Granger was _gone_. Utterly. 

But. Bellatrix wasn’t responsible for Hermione Granger. No, Ginny Weasley was supposed to be her new intern. Apprentice. Whatever it was that they called promising young women learning underneath imposing and well-off older women.

‘’File these papers for me.’’ Bellatrix wouldn’t let the girl think they were chummy or anything of the sort. Goodness forbid. She’d learned that mixing pleasure and business rarely led to exciting opportunities. No, they just led to sadness, frustration, and anger. That was a cocktail that Bellatrix had become quite accustomed to, if she bothered to be frank. A joke about Frank Longbottom formed in her head then and she laughed. 

Ginny looked at the papers and bit her tongue. She had a lot of things to say, didn’t she? Quaint girl. Rita was right - Bellatrix might like her.

It was around her second month working for her that Ginny dared to voice her opinion. She’d seen Bellatrix unwinding with bourbon in her office. Her shoes had been kicked off (flats - fucking _flats_ instead of combat boots). Previous to Ginny’s involvment, Bellatrix had had a tiresome meeting with the Old Boys that consisted of: Thoros Nott, Avery Sr. (his son was a pain in the neck that attempted to court her after she’d told Rod to fuck off to Azkaban), and Abraxas Malfoy. They called themselves her advisors - they were actually the opposite. 

‘’Our lord wouldn’t want such a thing -’’

‘’Our lord is more for this opinion -’’

‘’Our lord has told us many times about this -’’

Their opinion mattered. It was just that it mattered just as much as shit did. Bellatrix heard them out. They kept telling her that, as they knew their lord longer than she did, they were an authority that needed to be heard. 

Gods, Bellatrix missed war when her combatant ability far exceeded that of anyone else and nobody wanted to pick a fight with her. Here, inside of political machinations, she had to think strategically; she had to play a whole different game with opponents that didn’t take her seriously.

She looked at these twisting figures urging her to go against everything she wanted for the benefit of their lord’s wishes and whims that were the ploy of a man she had once admired. Was it not admirable to know one’s limits, Bellatrix wondered? Yes, in fact, it was. Then why did she feel only resentment for her lord who’d seen his limits and decided to go where he was more comfortable? Ah, the answer came in the forceful grit to her teeth, the burning in her eyes as she nodded her assent to whatever it was Abraxas Malfoy had screeched about - it was because Voldemort had not asked her before thrusting this world on her. 

During their press conference that detailed Bellatrix as his successor he’d made it sound as if he did not want to step down, but because Bellatrix wanted more to do it would be best to let the new world lead. She had blushed, ashamed of the man she had followed into battle. Her Aunt Walburga was correct. Tom Riddle was an _upstart_. 

Sirius was in prison. Bellatrix bailed him out. She wanted someone to talk to that wouldn’t be as easy to crack. Mind magic was Black magic and all of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black were natural occlumens and legilimens. 

He regarded her foully from prison. She’d just tossed Rodolphus inside the same cell.

‘’I was wrong you were right.’’ Bellatrix said. Then she beckoned him out. ‘’Let’s go.’’

So, she set him up in a flat and told him, flat out, that he wasn’t to disobey her in public or speak against her or the regime. 

‘’Fucked regime.’’

‘’Truly.’’ Bellatrix agreed. ‘’I don’t like it one bit.’’

‘’You made it.’’ Sirius balked. ‘’You don’t get to say you don’t like it if it’s your design.’’ Then he saw her discomfort and the way she sneered and put two and two together: ‘’Oh! Aaaahaaa! Cousin Bella is a **_tool_ **and nothing more!’’

‘’I won’t be anymore.’’ Bellatrix swore such a thing off. ‘’I’ll be much more than that. I’ve been given power, cousin Sirius, and I shall seize it.’’

‘’Fuck the bigots.’’

‘’Fuck the _Old_ Guard.’’ Bellatrix sneered. ‘’They parade around with their Dark Marks like they’re fucking showing off medals or shit.’’ 

‘’Ha. You sound like an auror. I never understood why he didn’t make you Head of the Auror department.’’

‘’Magical Law Enforcement. And yes. That’s what I wanted.’’

‘’Did you say it?’’

‘’You don’t say _no_ to Voldemort.’’

‘’Ha, what’s he doing now?’’

‘’Fucking **_teaching_ **.’’

‘’You’re kidding right?’’ 

Bellatrix raised her arms in the air and screamed. She didn’t scream anything particular, nor anything coherent - she just screamed to the only other person that could possibly understand her years of frustration. He’d been Walburga Black’s son, after all.

‘’What’s Andy doing?’’ Sirius had as a reply 

Andy aka Andromeda aka Blood Traitor Sister was ripping Bellatrix a new one that left her feeling despondent and in dire need of alcohol. So, with all of that mind and an inferiority complex lodged somewhere in her heart in lieu of love for her sister, Bellatrix drank bourbon in her office in the Ministry and sang drinking songs. 

Ginny found her completely incapacitated. Bellatrix told her to go home and if she didn’t that she’d fire her. Of course, anyone that had gone through Rita’s internship was made of sturdier stuff and these empty threats were recognized for exactly what they were.

‘’Supreme Leader -’’ what a fucking ridiculous title, Bellatrix thought as she drank another swig of bourbon and noticed that her thoughts were buzzing and her surroundings were shifting, ‘’- do you need me to take you to St. Mungo’s?’’

‘’For fucking alcohol poisoning? Ginny,’’ Bellatrix looked at this beautiful, competent girl in front of her (a girl that had bitten her tongue quite a few times and continued to do so because she worried that Bellatrix disliked creatures with their own thoughts), ‘’don’t be ridiculous. I’m a _Black_.’’ Lestrange, technically. She really ought to change her name back to her maiden name. Sirius told her that it would do her well to go back to her roots if she was so unhappy. It would be her equivalent of dying her hair a different colour post break up. Divorce. 

Andromeda had called her pathetic. Bellatrix had vindictively pulled Nymphadora Tonks from becoming a Hit Mage out of spite for her sister - but then she thought better of it and if Nymphadora (an ungodly fucking name - how had Bella not thought to challenge her sister on it) was a competent auror than she could be a good Hit Mage, couldn’t she? There were too many obstacles for women in the world - Bellatrix couldn’t accept becoming one, as well. It would be too much. Whenever she remembered how much she’d had to fight to become a recognized Death Eater she felt bile cross in her mouth.

Ginny helped her stand, she wrapped her hand around her waist and pulled her up. ‘’Supre-’’

‘’Call me Bellatrix or I’ll fucking crucio you, I swear to Merlin’s saggy fucking **tits**.’’

‘’Bellatrix.’’ Ginny rolled the name on her tongue as if wine-tasting it. She smiled. Her auburn hair and her beautiful eyes painted a vision in front of Bellatrix. ‘’I’m taking you home.’’

‘’Side-along apparition will be fucking shite.’’ Bellatrix hummed. ‘’I’ll probably throw up on a rug.’’

Ginny laughed and said that they’d clean that rug when they threw up on it. It was ridiculous. _This girl_ was ridiculous. 

‘’Is that supposed to be a we’ll cross that bridge when we-’’ Bellatrix stopped herself from continuing because her head swam. It turned into a tidal wave of thoughts and feelings and lack of worth that screamed at her. She was not living the life she wanted. Why was everyone allowed that except for her? Bellatrix must have been holding her bourbon glass still because she got broken out of her thoughts by Ginny's shriek. 

Instantly Bellatrix fetched her wand and found that her hand was ebbing with hideous pain. Glancing down at it she noticed that glass shards embedded in her skin and tore it up with blood. The rest of the glass scattered across the floor. Ginny gingerly (how many Gs could Bella fit in one sentence, she wondered) grabbed her wand and pulled it aside. 

‘’Does it hurt?’’

‘I can handle it, Ginny.’’ Bellatrix was just about to pull the hand away when Ginny licked a stripe across the blood, while watching her for a reaction. Rita’s fucking school, of course. What else was Bellaltrix supposed to expect. There was blood across her fingers and at Bellatrix’s silence, Ginny continued putting each finger in her mouth and licking it clean. 

If this wasn’t sobering, Bellatrix had no idea what might. She crossed the small distance between them and shoved more of her fingers into her pretty, pretty mouth. The girl suckled on them. Bellatrix whispered a healing spell underneath her breath and healed the cuts, but she didn’t tell Ginny to stop what she was doing. No, instead she pulled her up to her full height, grabbed a fistfull of red hair, and pulled them even closer. 

Her breath was hot on Ginny’s ear, but that was exactly what Bellatrix was going for: ‘’Are you certain you know what you want, Ginny?’’

Ginny breathed in deeply, shuddering at the intense attention Bellatrix’s presence gave her, and she nodded. ‘’Yes.’’ She practically hissed out. The girl was exquisite. Bellatrix smiled in her hair and felt faint and wonderful and worth something as she roughly pushed their lips together. 

For what it was worth, Bellatrix understood that the youth truly were the future. Oh the things Ginny Weasley knew. Fucking Morgana, this girl compared to no one. 

* * *

Now that they were fucking - and what a field day HR may be having because of it - Ginny decided to push Bellatrix. ‘’I didn’t come here to file your papers.’’

‘’Of course not.’’ Bellatrix knew the girl wanted more. _She’d_ wanted more, too. It was the curse of pureblood girls. ‘’Tell me, how does your family react to your working for me?’’ This was something that she’d given a bit of thought. The Weasleys were tragically invested in Albus Dumbledore’s life and believed in the sancicity of the Order of the Burnt Chicken (a joke Thoros Nott had made whilst drunk, but it had stuck and turned into an inside joke for the Death Eaters. It never fucking failed to make Voldemort laugh) 

‘’They, of course, support me.’’ Ginny lied. For a poor liar she sure kept her gaze firmly with Bellatrix’s. Or perhaps she was a good liar, but Bellatrix was a better mind reader. Mind magic did come much more easily to her and her blood than anyone else. It was a fair trade off for a bit of madness - and it was madness being the Supreme Leader when she took no enjoyment from it. 

What kind of world would this be if Bellatrix did things that she wanted to do? Probably more chaotic. Thoros Nott and Avery Sr. did have good heads about them - well, good was an overstatement - or a completely wrong word to use because they, too, had decided to pick a nasty habit to get into in the hope that their age and status would make them invincible to justice. 

Why didn’t Bellatrix punish them, really? What was stopping her? Loyalty? A sense of camaraderie for people that called her a Death Eater and told her she wouldn’t have come so far up in the ranks if she didn’t fuck Voldemort? And she hadn’t fucked him. Maybe she should have, really - seen what the fuss was about and become disillusioned much more quickly. Nobody with such an ego-complex knew anything about generosity. 

‘’Why?’’ Bellatrix had never been supported by anyone. Her father and mother had told her she was pushing her nose in a boy’s club (and they were quite right, indeed - the female Death Eaters came only _after_ Bellatrix kept pulling them inside). Her sister(s?) never had anything to say to her that wasn’t sarcastic. Did she have friends? Not really. Bellatrix didn’t have many friends growing up. Well - she grimaced and Ginny must have thought it was about her because she shifted her weight from one foot to the other - there was, always, _Skeeter_. 

‘’What do you mean ‘why’?’’ Ginny was a straightforward girl. ‘’It’s the duty of parents to support their children.’’

‘’Granger told me a similar thing once when I asked her why she kept coming back to them after Hogwarts was out.’’ Bellatrix’s mind kept straying back to Granger often, too. Ginny, yet again failing to understand many things that plagued Bellatrix, thought that this topic now was talking about how Bellatrix wished Ginny were more like Granger. 

Bellatrix placed her hand over Ginny’s and pulled it closer. She gently brushed her lips against the girl’s tightly-wound knuckles and kissed them. ‘’Ginny, Ginny, Ginny - don’t insult me with such thoughts. I’m sad and sentimental.’’ What a freeing motion it was to actually admit one’s feelings. It wasn’t something that she had grown up with. Not really. Rage she’d seen freely exhibited. Happiness only during the holidays. But sadness? Oh, that was a dirty emotion. An emotion meant to be locked away until one’s breaking point.

‘’What did Hermione say?’’ Ginny called Granger ‘Hermione’ because they were friends. She used a tone one would for a friend in mourning. The Hermione Granger she knew was fading away. 

‘’She told me that knowing where she came from helped her understand who she was and what she was meant to do. Then, quite curtly for a fifteen year old, if I recall - she told me that she would never feel ashamed to be a mudblood. I don’t know from where she dug those ideas from, but she told me about _MudPride_.’’

‘’Why would anyone feel good about that?’’ Ginny asked. When she wrinkled her nose in confusion it was the sweetest thing. She was a bit young to understand that. Granger didn’t have a family line to fall back on, nor did she have so many brothers like Ginny to keep her company when no friend would - no, no that girl was all she had and she had wanted _more_. 

All women wanted more for themselves. It wasn’t a mark of jealousy or indecency or corruption. No, Bellatrix blinked and realised something, that was just a mark of growing up. Nobody taught this to people. Nobody prepared them for this. It was implied that they were to know, wasn’t it? If it was, then Bellatrix was a fucking idiot.

She sensed impatience (and worry - how sweet) emanating from Ginny. 

‘’You wanted to duel me. Come on. Let me teach you how to duel.’’

‘’Could you take the Dark Lord?’’

‘’You call him that?’’ Bellatrix knew that all of his students called him Professor. 

‘’I noticed he disliked it.’’ Ginny cheekily replied. She wiggled her brows, too. Bellatrix smiled at this girl’s candour. After they kissed, Ginny repeated: ‘’Could you?’’

‘’I have no reason to.’’ Bellatrix lied. Ginny couldn’t tell. 

When they duelled it was a dance of passion. For the first time since battle, Bellatrix felt whole on the duelling grounds. Ginny lost. She was young and inexperienced and Bellatrix had killed both Dumbledore and Grindelwald. 

Perhaps she could take Voldemort. He’d been incapable of defeating his own fears when fighting those men, after all. 

After their duelling, once they were both shaken with adrenaline and coated with sweat, Ginny invited Bellatrix to shower together. 

* * *

Hermione Granger forgot her name once when she had to introduce herself. Bellatrix saw Draco Malfoy covering for her. His expression wasn’t nearly as disgusted as Bellatrix’s was. He was, after all, _Narcissa’s_ son. The Ice Queen never revealed her hand unless she must. 

Voldemort was in a study in Malfoy Manor, drinking far beyond his capabilities. He was reminding her of Slughorn with each passing year. Nothing felt good about being in the Slug Club. Abraxas Malfoy was laughing at something he’d said. Thoros Nott was talking about knots and trying to see how many times he could say Nott and knot in the same sentence. 

Bellatrix understood that it was their anniversary (the day they’d seized power), but this was ridiculously appalling. They didn’t stand to greet her when she entered the study. And why should they, really? It wasn’t like she was the Leader of the world they were celebrating today or anything of importance. 

‘’Could I speak to you?’’ Bellatrix hoped she’d caught him before he drank himself into parseltongue. Then only Abraxas seemed to understand him. And she really didn’t want anyone else when she talked to him. Ginny’s presence in her life had emboldened her to take more risks. To be confrontational again (and she had missed it, really). Well, Sirius had helped. He cursed her for bringing him out of Azkaban and cursed her for not springing him out sooner. It was _domestic,_ kind of, when Bellatrix felt like wanting to kill him on a daily basis. Gods, she was dysfunctional. 

Voldemort scooted on the chaise longue and gestured for Bellatrix to sit next to him. He grinned sloppily at her. She had to tell herself that she didn’t know what it was like growing up, killing so young, splitting his soul, and then winding up in another war. That shit left people scarred. She knew because she could feel the scars cracking her strong facade. Still, she sat down next to him. 

‘’You wanted to speak to me, Bella. Speak.’’ It was a shame that he couldn’t hold a single civil conversation with her without resorting back to that snide, condescending tone. Speak, he said, but what he truly meant was Bark. 

‘’I hope you know your bloodstatus isn’t a secret.’’ His face twitched. He was an honest drunk, Abraxas had told her. He took everything to heart (and she had forgotten he had one). He shifted in his seat and whispered that he had no idea why she would torture him with the past. But Bellatrix did not give in when she noted his obvious discomfort, she charged forward: ‘’It is especially common knowledge because of your declaration of belonging to Slytherin’s bloodline. The Gaunts are easy to find. With just a little bit of digging you can unravel their secrets and scandals.’’

Hoarsely (and he must have drunk a lot, mustn’t he have?) Voldemort asked Bellatrix what she was hinting at. He looked weak. Brakable. Angry. But not angry how Bella got angry. When she got angry she could destroy everything she’d built in her blindness. No, when Voldemort got angry he did so introspectively. He grew self-aware and bitter and full of resentment for the things that had been done to him. A bloody victim-complex on top of a god-complex. 

_Again_ , Bellatrix had to remind herself that she had no idea what it was like to grow up in a muggle orphanage during the great depression or what it was like to be poor and smart (she was very wealthy and average, at best - well, maybe she was smarter than average - but she wasn’t a genius by any means. if she were a genius she would have been out of this predicament years ago) nor did she know what it was like to kill her own father or fear the actions of her mother. 

‘’You’re crushing her with the obliviations.’’ They both knew who _her_ was in that sentence. ‘’I imagine you feel frightened of history repeating itself if you were to dose her with amortentia. Falling in love with someone’s intellect is intoxicating.’’ Bellatrix agreed. She’d once loved Voldemort, but now she regarded him with pity. ‘’Probably for you falling in love with anyone is terrifying. No more war holding you back. No more Dumbledore there to tell you how you’re incapable of love. I wish he were here still because that was incompetence out there.’’ She pointed outside the study where Hermione was bumbling about. ‘’You’re ruining her.’’

‘’I am.’’ Voldemort admitted. He looked tortured to admit it. ‘’Although, I am doing her a favour, Bella.’’ How could he twist a name she always took pleasure in hearing by him into something that only riled her. 

She shot her hand out and grabbed a hold of his wrist, tightening her grip until she was sure it would leave a bruise. He'd marked her, she wanted to mark him back. ‘’You are not. Amortentia does not leave mental scars how obliviation does. You are ruining her chance to be the person she wants to be. You can’t just obliviate her every time you two have it out. When you first told me about her she had beaten your OWL scores and you’d boasted about what a resource she could be. Don’t tell me you feel intimidated by her intellect now? Don’t tell me, please, that you’ve stopped seeing that resource and only see a **_shag_ **.’’

‘’What is it to you?’’ Voldemort sneered. He was being defensive. Belaltrix dipped inside his mind, but she could only get to his surface thoughts before his occlumency shields pushed her out. 

‘’I’m tiring of covering up **rape** for you.’’ Bellatrix startled him by using that word. It was a powerful word. ‘’Like mother like son - Slytherin’s fabled line of rapists.’’

‘’You forget yourself, Bellatrix.’’ Bella noted how she was now _Bellatrix._ ‘’You forget that I am your lord.’’

‘’You forget _yourself_.’’ Bella was shaking. Her hands were shaking as she said this. ‘’You made me into your superior when you went off having your crisis. I do not think it has passed. All of the Death Eaters are pulling me down to handle your shit and keep you out of Azkaban because of your service during the war, but nobody remembers any of you anymore. Nobody remembers Lord Voldemort, Dark Lord. You’re just their professor now. Remember that.’’

‘’What I’ll remember is your bloody double standard.’’ Voldemort pinned it back on her by bringing up Ginny. ‘’You want to start your own little harem now? I thought you didn’t _slum_ .’’ And they were close on that chaise longue, far closer than they had any business being. He was leaning _closer_. Bellatrix wondered when her lord had become so broken. Their breaths both tinged with alcohol. She parted her lips and he looked ravenously towards her. 

But she moved back and hissed with more venom than even a basilisk was capable of producing: ‘’You’re right, _Riddle_ . I _don’t_ slum.’’

Before he could say or do anything, Bellatrix hurried to leave. Her heart was beating in elation, in fear, in monstrous satisfaction. She spotted Ginny mingling with Hermione and trying to remind her that they used to be quite close friends. Her Ginny was so sad. No, Bellatrix wouldn’t allow anyone to make her Ginny sad. She grabbed hold of her and pulled her to dance. 

They laughed because Belaltrix was never that good of a dancer (she’d learned the basics for decorum's sake), but Ginny wasn’t any good either (she’d never had an opportunity to learn in her household). 

Hermione called them a wonderful pair. 

Sirius, there as moral support for Bellatrix and a source of all chaos for Narcissa, pulled Hermione to dance. Nobody wanted to dance with Voldemort’s mudblood. 

One night without any thoughts proved to be just enough refreshing to give her strength to continue shuffling about in a position she abhorred. 

* * *

Voldemort and she didn’t speak for a full year. Soon two years passed from that first rendez-vous with Ginny and Bellatrix was truly fucking exhausted. Not even the best possible sex she’d had in her fifty-one years could alleviate her situation. Sirius told her to quit. He’d sworn off marrying and continuing the Black line -which was unfortunate because that was the exact lines she’d used to get him out of Azkaban. 

But, Bella herself was a Black now in the grand year of 2002. Rita Skeeter continued being a menace. Hermione Granger continued getting obliviated whenever she and Voldemort had tiffs. Bellatrix wondered if nobody wanted to intervene because of Hermione Granger’s blood status or because of the man doing the obliviating. 

Her patience for the Old Guard suffered and she found that she had almost no more of it left for them. It appeared that twenty years of ruling this country was going to be her breaking point and she hoped that the man responsible for it was in front of her when she unleashed all of her rage. 

Narcissa didn’t feel rage. Narcissa never felt anything. Bellatrix didn’t understand her. They were still sisters, however (unlike she and Andromeda), so they continued sitting quietly during tea time. Or they talked about flowers. They didn’t talk about their husbands because they weren’t married to them anymore and it would be awkward. 

Rodolphus had left Azkaban last year. He’d avoided her gaze and begged for her to take him back. Bellatrix had refused. She really had no place for him in her life anymore. Besides, Ginny was there to be her companion. Gods, Bellatrix realised with a sudden and frightening start - she was old enough to be an unmarried old broad that went about travelling with a companion. 

Hadn’t that been a horror story Aunt Walburga had told them about when they were children and wanted to please everyone that they saw as an authority figure? If the good little pureblood girl didn’t marry a good little pureblood boy then she’d turn old and ugly and unhappy. And without a husband to parade around this old, unhappy woman would have to harass a young unmarried girl for companionship.

It was this exact realisation that Bellatrix saw as an inspiration to finally wake her from her lethargy and melancholia that couldn’t be solved through sex (and wasn’t that just a sad revelation?) 

She stood up from her spot. Narcissa watched her warily. ‘’Bella, what’s wrong?’’

‘’Wrong?’ Bella practically squealed with joy, ‘’Oh, Cissa, dear - nothing is wrong, _finally_.’’


	2. Chapter 2

This was the greatest day of her life. Bellatrix broke through the door to Sirius’ flat. She had to get her things before her plans realised themselves. And what lovely, ingenious, beautiful, freeing plans they were!

Bellatrix spotted Sirius staring at her with newfound amusement. Everything she did was amusing to him. Fucker deserved a punch in the nose - but he’d probably find that amusing, as well. ‘’Cousin, Bellatrix.’’ He didn’t call her Bella unless it was truly derisive or sarcastic. Talking to Sirius was easier than she expected. 

‘’Cousin Sirius, hello. I’m looking for that portkey I gave you.’’

‘’You’ve given me many portkeys over the years.’’

She had. Her contingency planning rivalled that of Moody’s. Somehow, even with the careful erasure of the Order and its members the entire Department of Magical Law Enforcement still remembered the man, the myth, the total legend that was Alastor Moody. Who was the current head of that department? Some guy, Scrimgeour probably. Bellatrix didn’t pay much attention to that. It was Abraxas’ division. 

‘’The portkey I told you to use for code red.’’

‘’What’s code red again?’’ Sirius cheekily pressed her. 

‘’Are you serious right now?’’

‘’I’m always Sirius.’’ 

Bellatrix hated herself for walking into that one. She ought to know better. Her face was turning redder than if a stinging hex had hit her. ‘’I don’t have the time for this! I’ll make a new one.’’ And Bellatrix had learned how to do that. She’d taken a bloody _course_. It was ridiculous to recall the things the Supreme Leader needed to know how to do - for her own safety, of course. 

‘’Shouldn’t you have a security detail with you?’’

Bellatrix’s security detail was on permanent leave. She disliked people snuffing about her business and following her and listening to her. Gods, she _was_ turning into Alastor Moody. This was terrible. ‘’I’m leaving.’’ She said with finality. 

Sirius didn’t laugh at her. He knew she wasn’t joking. 

‘’I did wonder where that portkey would take me.’’ He gestured for a liquor cabinet. It was the worst place to hide a secret portkey. It was so bad a hiding place that it was perfect. Bellatrix scoffed as she hunted for it. ‘’Where does it lead to, Oh Supreme Leader?’’

‘’If I were to tell you it would defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it?’’

Sirius inclined his head to agree. ‘’True.’’ 

Bellatrix played with the portkey (a sickle) between her fingers and sighed. With her other hand she ran her fingers through her hair. Her hair was greying. As long as it wasn’t falling out, Bellatirx didn’t mind. ‘’Are you going to be okay when I leave?’’

‘’Probably not.’’ Sirius said. ‘’Maybe they’ll think I did something to you and they’ll send someone to kill me.’’

‘’Probably Nott.’’ Bellatrix nodded. 

Sirius cracked a grin. ‘’If you weren’t such a heinous bitch you might have won the war for our side.’’ 

‘’Blood _matters_ , Sirius.’’ Bellatrix would never stop believing in that. Even if everyone told her it was wrong to be so callous and limiting. ‘’I can’t just - if it were wrong it would not have lived on as a belief for so long.’’

‘’You ever heard of the Bible?’’ 

‘’Did you find bloody _Jesus_ now?’’ Bellatrix was subject to listening to drunk Voldemort too many times during their coexistence in war not to have heard about his opinions on _Catholicism_. Apparently these people had tried exorcising him as a child when modern medicine had not cured his ailments. She couldn’t understand why Sirius would want her to align with these people. 

‘’Naah. Lily liked to talk about Christianity and put some things from that book into a magical context. It was interesting. Though, maybe not your style, dearest Cousin Bellatrix.’’

Bellatrix didn’t say anything. She didn’t know what else there was to say to that. 

‘’Help that Granger girl before you leave.’’ Sirius said. ‘’You know Mind Magic.’’

‘’You’re a Black, too.’’

‘’Yeaaah, but I never bothered to learn the ‘Mental Arts’.’’ He added air quotes to further demonstrate how little respect he had for anything that had to do with the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. ‘’I can just lie really well and create chaos wherever I go. You’re the type of person who learned. You’re the oldest child.’’

‘’You’re the oldest child, _too_.’’

‘’You don’t want to help her. Fine. You could have just said so. Why should you, right? She’s just a **mudblood**.’’ Sirius twisted that word into something truly hideous. He said the word how mudbloods heard it and threw it back at Bellatrix. All of Walburga’s children had a powerful voice, infused with their magic. 

His eyes were equally as Black as hers. Bellatrix didn’t look away. She wouldn’t be humiliated, nor would she feel ashamed for her beliefs. But she would clear something up: ‘’My duty, Sirius, is to serve all of my residents. I have to make decisions that ultimately lead to the protection of all of them. This may be difficult for you to understand but saying something in order to get elected - or in our case to go to war for - and then once the war ends you’re forced to do something are two wholly different spheres of thinking. The MUE won’t just allow us to enslave half our population…’’ Quietly: ‘’And we did do the numbers; the mudbloods are a big part of our world. And yes, inbreeding does cause detrimental effects on magic. There have been studies. That we have actually done.’’

‘’Funny how those studies never made it to the public.’’ Sirius deadpanned. 

‘’Are you insane? I don’t want **another** civil war on my hands! Bread and circus, Sirius. That’s all we can do for them now. Hermione Granger was supposed to be the first proper mudblood that we’d be integrating slowly into the cycle. Did you know there’s a sort of positive discrimination? It’s quite interesting stuff. Bloody maddening, as well. Don’t get me wrong I find all of this highly idiotic, but it’s one of the things I have to look for. The MUE gave us this checklist. Just guidelines that we can go by or we can choose not to go by and get bombed by NATO.’’ 

‘’NATO knows about us?’’

‘’Oh yes, that was a shock to me, too. When Voldemort heard about the possibility of getting bombed I do believe that’s when he… well, not freaked out - that’s not quite what happened.’’ Bellatrix stopped. "To be honest… Yes, freaked out is the best way to put it. He had an episode." She wouldn’t tiptoe around the topic any longer.

‘’He ill or something?’’ Sirius stopped Bella from answering the minute he realised what a complete fucking idiot he was for asking something like that. Of course he was ill. Anyone who’d survived two wars had underlined issues that needed addressing, but couldn’t be addressed due to the intricate taboo placed around mental health.

‘’I’m leaving.’’ Bellatrix shouted. She had to get back to what was important. ‘’I suggest you leave, as well.’’

‘’I’m not leaving that girl behind.’’

‘’You danced a couple of dances with her and now you like her?’’ Bellatrix sneered. ‘’Wasn’t that werewolf enough for you to understand that you shouldn’t get attached to your lesser mages, Sirius?’’ Perhaps Bellatrix was cruel to her cousin because that was the only thing she knew how to be when around her family? It wasn’t worth dwelling on.

‘’She’s sweet and reminds me of Lily. And she needs _help_.’’ Sirius blocked the exit to his flat. Bellatrix glanced back to the fireplace and raised a brow inquisitively at him.

‘’Do this _one_ thing for me.’’

‘’I’ve done things for you. I’ve done way too many things for you.’’ Bellatrix hissed. She pushed Sirius and he didn’t budge. Wouldn’t budge. It was like talking to a brick wall. And not the kind that served as an entrance to Diagon Alley – that one sometimes spoke back and understood basic instructions. ‘’You’re being incredibly ungrateful right now.’’

‘’You just told me she was going to be your face for Mudbloods Being Useful.’’

‘’We wouldn’t call it that, Sirius. Have you spent a single moment in a marketing meeting ever?’’

‘’Nope.’’

‘’It shows.’’ She drawled. When she drew her wand he drew his. Bellatrix looked, yet again, back to the floo network – but she preferred going through the door because of the ward setup. It would be suspicious if she went through the floo after never going through it. The floo was tracked by the Ministry. Mages didn’t go through front doors unless they had to – it just wasn’t a thing that was ingrained as a habit with them. He poked her with his wand and told her to man up or woman up or Supreme Leader up and stop being such a cunt. Such lovely words from her own blood. He kept poking her. She poked him back. ‘’Stop that. You are being childish.’’

‘’Never had a problem with it growing up and I’m not about to stop now when I’m a relic of the past.’’ Sirius both poked Belaltrix and the fact that the only reason why he was outside of Azkaban was because he was being ‘redeemed’ and ‘re-educated’. ‘’Beautiful, enchanting, ingenious, brilliant –‘’

Bellatirx knew where this was going.

‘’-mesmerizing, cutthroat, wonderful –‘’

It went on.

Bellatrix kicked him between the legs, said goodbye to having any nieces or nephews from Sirius to harass, and high-tailed it before he could finish saying how much Sirius Black loved being the only other relic of the past alongside his most wonderful professor Minerva McGonagall. That puppy crush should have been outgrown.

With the portkey that no one knew about in hand, Bellatrix disapparated to Ginny’s place. She liked to give that girl as much autonomy and space as she could. Even though they were entangled for two years, it seemed much too soon to live with someone. Bellatrix couldn’t forget the moment when she’d woken up screaming from a nightmare. That had been the most awkward situation she’d ever been forced into living through. And she’d seen Abraxas Malfoy preparing his proposal speech. Now that was Schadenfreude.

Bellatrix was beginning to seriously believe in synchronicity. Because Abraxas Malfoy was waiting for her in Ginny’s apartment. He was sipping tea loudly and not minding how he came off as a prick by doing so in the most annoying manner possible. In fact, Bellatrix was convinced that the man savoured each micro-expression of disgust that coloured Bellatrix whenever she saw him. He was Voldemort’s confidant. Bellatrix was his General. They interacted because they had to.

‘’You look like you’re in a hurry.’’ Abraxas knew things. He was a Master at Arithmancy and he knew things that people wouldn’t know unless they actively sought _maths_ out.

‘’That’s because I am. I’m horny as hell.’’ Bellatrix was a great big liar and because she was so adept at lying and the infamously called Mental Arts – she knew that the best tactic to throw someone off one’s scent was to confuse and revolt the daylights out of them. ‘’Ginny’s waiting for me. Thanks for keeping her company, Lord Malfoy.’’ Bellatrix needed Abraxas out of this apartment. She needed him out of her life. Hadn’t marrying Minerva been enough for him? He’d all but retired then.

Abraxas sighed. Not one of those regular sighs. No. He sighed the infamous sigh only a man with 125 peafowls could. This was not going to end well for Bellatrix. Ginny was unharmed. Ginny was wondering what in Merlin’s name was going on. Patience, Bellatrix sent her a thought, I’ll tell you everything later. Just help me get rid of this prick.

Ginny decided to get rid of him by asking him what was wrong. Sometimes the youth, however much they were ingenious, turned out to be idiots as well. It was one of those win-some lose-some moments. Bellatrix had had higher hopes for Ginny.

‘’Bellatrix,’’ how profane was it to call him Lord Malfoy while he dared to call her by her given name. Bellatrix would think it was a lot. ‘’don’t you find it exhausting to lie?’’

She didn’t have a safe retort. The only one she could think of to say would offend a lot of people and she had to watch what she was saying as the Supreme Leader of the new world. Fucking Merlin and Nimue she wanted to say what she had in mind. Next time. Next time when she wasn’t in such a hurry and could think of better insults, she would speak her mind.

‘’Have you tired of Minerva and that’s why you’re here?’’

‘’I have, actually.’’ Abraxas sighed. ‘’I have tired of her.’’

‘’Oh.’’ Bellatrix had not expected that. Minerva and Abraxas always looked like such a fun couple. Too fun, sometimes. ‘’Wait did you only marry her to save her from Azkaban?’’

‘’Got it in one.’’

_‘’Why?’’_

‘’Well, more than one reason – it was to make Tom jealous.’’ Abraxas sheepishly admitted.

Bellatrix was younger than these men. Much younger. So young that if they were in an intimate relationship it could be called cradle robbing because they were her father’s age. Yet she was still much more mature than them. She glanced at Ginny, who was having similar thoughts.

_What the ever loving fuck, Bella_

Bellatrix didn’t know how to answer Ginny.

‘’Why are you here, Abraxas?’’

‘’I dabbled a bit.’’ This was code for ‘I was absolutely bored out of my mind and decided to see future outcomes and now it’s up to you to make my favourite future a reality and you have to do so without my explaining to you what will happen in it’. Bellatrix hated that she knew that. Out of all of the Old Guard it was Abraxas that was eerily squeaky clean. Not even if she wanted to shove him in Azkaban she couldn’t due to a lack of evidence and motive. It would be best if she followed along for now.

‘’Okay.’’ Bellatrix played with the sickle between her fingers. Abraxas ignored its presence. Good man. ‘’Why did you two end so abruptly? You would think that being together for thirty years ought to be enough time to get to know each other. There weren’t any children that would make you stay together – well – okay – the peafowls are yours and Voldemort’s children in a way.’’

‘’He still comes by to see to them. It’s rather nice of him. Unexpectedly so.’’ Abraxas mumbled. Then he sighed, that infamous sigh, once more.

Ginny was smarter the second time around. She inched towards Bellatrix. But it was Bellatrix now that asked him what he wanted from her. Abraxas wasn’t like Thoros Nott or Avery Sr. No, he rose above their pettiness and brought a freshness to the regime.

‘’Say what you have I am in a hurry and you obviously know where I am going. Or don’t you?’’

‘’Oh no, no – I _do_ know you’re attempting to flee. It’s never too late to change your life is it?’’ Abraxas laughed. ‘’Definitely false thinking. You can easily get trapped in your way of life if you live to serve another person. It is good you don’t have children, Bellatrix. You would be a selfless mother, I think. You’d let your child control your life. Druella let you control hers.’’

‘’Ginny, we’re going travelling, love – could you go and pack up some essentials. I’ll pay for whatever else you want.’’ Bellatrix had had enough bothering herself with Abraxas’ ramblings. She shooed Ginny off to get ready.

‘’Is she like your companion then?’’

‘’Exactly.’’

‘’I remember the day _I_ realised I was older.’’

‘’Can you not drain my energy with your nonsense, Abraxas. Respect me enough to do that, at least.’’

‘’I want Tom back. He’ll listen to you.’’

‘’Excuse me?’’

‘’He will! The numbers don’t lie.’’ Abraxas took out a handkerchief from his robe pocket and enlarged it. It was covered inch by inch with equation solving. The end result was a five. Bellatrix took only one class of arithmancy before switching out for runes because she wasn’t a masochist. She had no idea what the five meant. To her it could mean anything Abraxas said. But, as a Black, she could tell if he lied to her. He didn’t lie: ‘’There are five things that have to happen and he’ll listen. Two have already happened.’’ Abraxas took out a wand (Albus Dumbledore’s wand!) from his other robe pocket and handed it to her. ‘’Third one’s here.’’ She took it quietly, softly. ‘’That’s the Elder wand by the way.’’ Bellatirx choked on her own spit and nearly dropped the wand.

‘’What are the first two?’’

‘’Something about mummy issues.’’ Abraxas pointed to the number 23.

‘’How in Nimue’s name can you read that from a number?’’

‘’I have spent fifty years doing this craft, I can decipher everything the numbers want to say.’’

‘’What’s my love life like?’’ Bellatrix leaned forward and asked. She might as well use this opportunity to figure things out while Ginny was in the other room packing up.

Abraxas said it was zero. ‘’Very stable.’’

‘’How is a zero stable?’’

‘’It’s neither negative nor positive!’’

‘’What was Tom’s and yours relationship?’’

‘’I am not disclosing that number.’’

Bellatrix finally shut the man up. She twirled the elder wand in one hand and held onto the portkey in the other. ‘’I can’t believe I beat a man with the elder wand.’’

‘’To be fair he never did use it much in combat. It was as if he gave you the victory.’’

Bellatrix deadpanned: ‘’Such a shame none of your favoured champions managed to kill Dumbledore. You’d be stuck with them and not me.’’

‘’A Black’s audacity and prowess is unrivalled, Bellatrix. Now, second thing on the list-‘’

‘’Do I need a coat?’’ Ginny popped out. She was holding a very big and fluffy coat.

‘’No.’’ Bellatrix said.

‘’Somewhere warm then. Okay.’’ Ginny popped back inside.

‘’- Bellatrix, second thing on the list – ‘’

‘’Do I need a bikini?’’

‘’Only if you want to make me sad!’’ Bellatrix shouted.

‘’Skinny dipping then! Cool!’’

Abraxas was becoming quite cross with this situation. He stood up from his chair and pushed his index finger against Bellatrix’s chest. ‘’Listen to me, Bellatrix. Mother’s embrace, happened. Friend’s betrayal – probably you deciding to leave once and for all. Enemy on the rise – you with the elder wand if he comes for you to have something to do real damage with.’’

Bellatrix opened her mouth to say that her own wand had caused a lot more damage thank you and that she didn’t need the elder wand to kick arse and take names later. But Abraxas wouldn’t hear of it.

‘’This fourth thing is a 1979 and I am having a bit of trouble figuring it out.’’

‘’Huh.’’ Bellatrix snorted. ‘’That’s a _year_.’’

‘’What?’’

‘’1979 is when Granger was born.’’

Abraxas snorted back. ‘’Well that solves that, I suppose. Get Granger back. You do know how to return her memories?’’

‘’Sweet Circe I just want to fuck Ginny in Italy why are you all badgering me about this. Either keep your mouth shut when we leave or tell Voldemort at this point, Abraxas, I’m going quietly or no!’’

‘’Oh that has to be the fifth thing then. It is a _bombastic_ number. Must be him being forced into doing administrative duties again’’

Ginny came out dressed in the sexiest damn robe Bellatrix had ever seen her in. ‘’Is that new?’’ She ignored Abraxas.

‘’I bought it a couple of days ago.’’ Ginny answered, speaking in a silky, attractive voice. She pulled Bellatrix into an open mouthed kiss.

Abraxas coughed to get their attention. ‘’As a man who has been married to a lesbian and has made a child with one, may I just remind all of you that I won’t fall for these distraction tactics.’’

‘’We’re not making out to distract you.’’

‘’Yeah, Mr. Malfoy, get a life.’’

‘’It’s _Lord_ Malfoy.’’ Abraxas answered Ginny, miffed. He crossed his arms and glared. ‘’Bellatrix, I want Tom back.’’

‘’Win him back yourself.’’ Bellatrix stopped making out with her lover to turn to Abraxas and sneer. ‘’Stop using me to do your work for you.’’

‘’This way is less emotionally compromising for me. In the other way where I don’t use this situation to my advantage I actually have to apologise for not taking his panic attack seriously in the 80s and I truly don’t care for that sort of thing.’’

 _What the actual fuckity fuck, Bella?_ Ginny looked at Bellatrix, aghast.

Bellatrix didn’t have enough words to describe the sheer fucked-up behaviour that was propagated in the high circles of pureblood culture that shaped the men Bellatrix surrounded herself with. For all they spoke how blood traitors raised their children, said children at least learned how to apologize and how to take criticism.

‘’Could you help Hermione, though?’’ Ginny asked.

‘’She could.’’

‘’I don’t have the time.’’

Ginny narrowed her eyes. ‘’Would you make time if I asked you to?’’

‘’She would.’’

‘’I _really_ don’t have the time!’’

Ginny pouted.

Bellatrix found the time.

Abraxas laughed at her the entire time they went to Granger’s abode. For emotional support Bellatrix brought Sirius with them.

‘’Since when do they live apart?’’ Bellatrix wondered. ‘’Shouldn’t she be at Hogwarts?’’

‘’Perhaps Tom has learned the error of his ways?’’ Abraxas couldn’t even keep a straight face while saying that.

Hermione opened the door and barely recognized them all. ‘’Hello!’’ She wore a chipper smile.

‘’You should smile more.’’ Abraxas elbowed Bellatrix on his way inside. ‘’Hello, Hermione!’’

‘’Oh Hermione, that’s my name!’’

Ginny shuddered. ‘’Death is too good for that man.’’

‘’He’s immortal.’’ Abraxas gave away a government secret.

‘’Wait really?’’

‘’Yeah, apparently he split his soul or something?’’ Sirius was the town gossip.

Bellatrix looked at Hermione and asked to see her sit down. Hermione’s face blanched. ‘’Am, am I in trouble, Supreme Leader?’’

‘’Big trouble.’’ Bellatrix nodded. ‘’I need access to your brain to see if you’ve been colluding with some dangerous people.’’

‘’I – I haven’t!’’ Hermione panicked.

‘’Well, you don’t remember.’’ Bellatrix said, speaking slowly. And if she was patronizing that wasn’t anyone’s business. ‘’Because you got obliviated. But I can tell. So, just let good old Supreme Leader in your brain and I’ll be out before you can finish saying that insanely long muggle word-‘’

‘’What inane muggle word?’’

‘’You’ll remember it soon enough.’’ Bellatrix fanned away.

* * *

Returning Hermione’s memories turned out to be child’s play. The ire in her eyes, however, was something altogether different.

‘’I’M GOING TO KILL HIM!’’

Abraxas squealed with joy. ‘’Oh after this he’ll have no other place to go but to come running back to me!’’

Bellatrix grabbed hold of Ginny and activated the portkey. She needed out of this madhouse.

Sirius soon activated his and left to another location.

Let Voldemort deal with a woman scorned on his own.

Bellatrix was going to finally live her own life.

* * *

The things Bellatrix and Ginny actually got to do before shit hit the fan were the following:

  1. Swim in the sea
  2. Drink lots of wine
  3. Say buongiorno and arrivederci to the staff in an attempt to hone their bilingual craft
  4. Went to see some sights
  5. Enjoyed in each other’s company
  6. Breathed in peace



After all of that they tried to have sex.

And it was that exact moment when Ginny had her tongue lapping up at Bellatrix’s clitoris that Professor fucking Voldemort deigned to call via Dark Mark.

Bellatrix refused to answer. She was in the moment.

The Dark Mark grew agitated. It seared with pain.

Bellatrix tried to remind herself that she was not going to allow the fiend to ruin this for her. Ginny was absolutely wonderful. Bellatrix tried to be wonderful, in turn, but the natural talent on her lover was unparalleled.

And Voldemort kept calling. It was the equivalent of leaning on a doorbell and just. not. moving.

She must have spasamed at the wrong moment because Ginny lifted her head and said: ‘’Bella, I’m not going anywhere. See what he wants.’’

Fine. Bellatrix answered the call by placing her index finger to the mark. ‘’Hello, Voldemort.’’

He spoke directly into her head because the magic demanded it. _BELLATRIX BLACK_

Bellatrix relayed to Ginny via eye-contact that she was in oh so much trouble.

Ginny bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. Bellatrix might follow suit because this was the most ridiculous situation she’d ever found herself in.

_WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? I AM BEING **HUNTED**. _

To Ginny: ‘’Hermione’s on a manhunt for him, apparently.’’

To Voldemort: ‘’That’s what you get when you don’t ask for people’s permission to do things.’’

_COME BACK IMMEDIATELLY AND ALL WILL BE FORGIVEN!_

‘’That doesn’t sound reassuring at all.’’ Bellatrix was not intimidated. No woman that had another woman eating her out feared a man. It was basic logic.

Ginny figured out that she could get Bellatrix to lose control while she was arguing with a has-been Dark Lord. She grabbed hold of her ankles and dived back in.

Bellatrix gasped.

Voldemort realised what that meant because not only was he in her mind, but he was also demanding her emotions to tell if she lied to him. Why had Bellatrix agreed to the Mark if it was so intrusive? Ah yes, because none of them had been bold enough to outright ask their once upon a frightening lord what it was the mark did. Fucking idio – _and_ Ginny was a genius.

_BELLATRIX, ARE YOU TAKING THE FUCKING PISS RIGHT NOW?_

‘’This isn’t a good time. Oh sweet Circe –woman!’’

_I AM APALLED AT YOU. I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE DISRESPECTED IN MY ENTIRE LIFE._

Bellatrix scrunched her eyes up and clasped her hands together, folding them above her head because she wanted to grab a hold of Ginny, but this would make it more intense if she didn’t. She wouldn’t lie, hearing Voldemort’s voice was doing things for her, too.

‘’OH Merlin, Ginevra, where did you even LEARN THAT?!’’

‘’I have my sources.’’

_THAT IS IT! I AM GOING OVER THERE TO DRAG YOU BACK MYSELF._

As an orgasm rocked through Bellatirx she found that she couldn’t must up a single care about anything Voldemort had to say.

_UNBELIEVABLE!_

Bellatrix looked at Ginny and had to agree with that.

_NOT WHAT I MEANT AND YOU KNOW IT!_

Their connection ceased. He’d hung up on her. Bellatrix didn’t mind. She smiled sloppily at Ginny and told her that she had to go and beat up an intellectual but after she finished such unseemly business up, she’d make her come so many, many times.

‘’You better.’’ Ginny whispered. She wore a devilish smile. It adorned her beautifully.

* * *

Bellatrix Black stretched. She cast some rudimentary spells with the Elder wand to get herself suited to its power. It was exquisite, but she still preferred her own wand. However, for this task ahead she knew that intimidation was key.

Voldemort glared at her. One of his eyebrows was just gone.

‘’What happened to your eyebrow?’’

‘’None of your business, Bellatrix.’’

‘’Did Hermione Granger vanish it?’’

‘’ _None_ of your BUSINESS.’’

Bellatrix laughed in his face. She’d feared this moment for such a long time. Nearby them the Mediterranean Sea crashed against the shore. The intoxicating smell of iodine cleared Bellatrix’s mind in a way nothing had these past twenty years. It put things into perspective that this was her most terrifying moment. She’d thought so hard about what would happen if she up and left. How it would be to fight her own mentor. But now she found it was easier to laugh at him than it was to ridikkulus her own boggart as a thirteen year old girl.

She swished the Elder wand through the air and said nothing more. ‘’Should we bow? You have a thing for bowing if I remember correctly.’’ Cheekily she grinned.

He grumbled a few choice words. Then, louder: ‘’Of course we shall bow. We are not barbarians.’’

After the tensest bow in existence was over, Bellatrix crushed his knee with a spell. Nobody ever looked down when blocking. Most shields tended to be concentrated around the heart and head area, leaving the feet and knees practically open. Voldemort had spent a terrible amount duelling children to have forgotten such a thing. She couldn’t blame him, of course – his fucktoy had decided to rough him up before her scrutiny. The more Bellatrix saw Hermione Granger at work the less she found mudbloods useless.

Besides, any shield proved to be useless against the Elder wand. Bellatirx kissed it for good luck and shouted: ‘’Do you yiel-‘’

Voldemort hit her shoulder with a cutting hex, ruining her new Italian robe with blood. ‘’Mother _fucker_!’’

He limped, muttering healing spells underneath this breath and guarding against her attacks while he was doing so. Bellatrix sent a flurry of hexes at him, to distract him and cause him to botch his own healing spell. In return he sent her snake made out of fiendfyre. Bellatrix, ever so carefully, decided that she was not going to go up against that. She disapparated and apparated behind him, slamming her fist against his head. ‘’Stand down, already. I’m better at combat than you!’’

As he collapsed to the ground he shouted: ‘’The only reason why you’re winning is because I’m already injured!’’

‘’The eyebrows?’’ Bellatrix hissed out another laugh. She couldn’t take the man underneath her seriously anymore. He called the fiendfyre back when he felt the tip of her wand pointed at the back of his head. She bound his hands with conjured ropes behind his back.

‘’Not the bloody eyebrows, Bellatrix.’’ Painfully he whispered, more out of humiliation than physical pain: ‘’She hit me with a cruciatus curse.’’

The respect Bellatrix had for Hermione Granger quadrupled: ‘’Oh I love mudbloods now. All of them are my best friends. I’m giving them the same rights as purebloods.’’

‘’Do whatever you want.’’

‘’Well since you said I can do whatever I want I’m going to send Thoros Nott and Avery to Azkaban. Might send Lucius, too, since he is doing some unseemly things with elves I’ve heard.’’

‘’Lucius has always been a bit troubled.’’ Voldemort agreed. His face was smushed against the stone paved path.

Bellatrix nodded. She sat down on Voldemort’s back. He hissed out in pain. She looked up at the sky and listened to the calming sound of the sea. ‘’I cannot send you to Azkaban.’’

‘’You care.’’ Voldemort laughed at her. ‘’How sweet of you.’’

Bellatrix nipped that in the bud before something came of it. ‘’No, it’s just that it would send a difficult message to the world. The MUE might ask questions that I don’t care to answer at the moment. I want you to know one thing, however. You pushed me to this. It is your inability to articulate your problems that have led to this moment with both Granger and myself.’’

At the mention of Granger, Voldemort’s ire tripled, but so did his discomfort. Watching this flash of emotions dance across his visage was a decent show. Amusing, albeit nothing important would come of it.

‘’You should send me to Azkaban. As punishment. If you want to hurt me.’’

Bellatrix smiled sweetly at him. ‘’No, no. If I wanted to hurt you I know for a fact that Azkaban wouldn’t do shite for you, Mr. I can speak to Dementors via parseltongue. I wasn’t born yesterday.’’

Voldemort began to accept that, as well. Bellatrix was not his trusted starry-eyed pupil any longer. Nor was Hermione that, as well. He needed a break from volatile women that cared for their own autonomy and challenged him every step of the way – no, what Voldemort needed was someone he knew how to handle; someone he had tried making a life for decades and somewhat succeeded: ‘’I miss Abraxas.’’ He whispered.

Bellatrix couldn’t believe how accurate arithmancy was. ‘’There are going to be changes when I return to England. I will be Supreme Leader for a few more months, okay. Prior to my retirement there will be an election.’’

‘’An election?’’ Voldemort hissed in horror.

‘’Yes, we’re giving the people democracy.’’

‘’That is a bad idea – look at what happened to Yugoslavia when they gave them that!’’

‘’We’re a lot smaller than Yugoslavia was, Voldemort.’’

He had to concede that fact. ‘’Fine. What are your other terms?’’

‘’I’m going to punish you. Really, really ruin the life as you know and cling onto.’’

‘’Are you going to destroy my horcruxes and kill me?’’

‘’Nah.’’ Bellatrix set his mind at ease because she felt a large spike of panic from him. ‘’That’s much too easy and it’ll leave everyone you’ve wronged without proper recompense.’’

‘’Then what are you going to do?’’

Bellatrix’s eyes glowed dark. ‘’You’re going to **_therapy_**.’’

Voldemort had never been more afraid in his life. ‘’I’ve created a monster.’’

* * *

Voldemort would rather die than admit that the therapy was helping him come to terms with a lot of things he normally wouldn’t speak about. Abraxas was quite happy to be back with Tom. And only he was allowed to call the man Tom. It was a privilege he’d earned fair and square.

Hermione Granger became an Unspeakable and did unspeakable things. She and Voldemort never crossed paths again. And even if they did because their country was very small – they always respected each other’s restraining order by crossing to the opposite street and moving on.

Sirius Black wound up in a secluded muggle Russia village thanks to that portkey where he became a local legend because he could make vodka out of water.

Rita Skeeter continued being a pain in the neck, but Ginny Black and Bellatrix Black couldn’t give two shits about her – because they were out of that political sphere nowadays.

The MUE sent Bellatrix a small card that said: Congratulations on your first democratic election.

Bellatrix would have savoured this moment a lot more had she not found out that the people had voted for Gilderoy Lockhart to take charge of the New World she’d painstakingly built.

Ginny kissed her to help her deal with the shock. It helped. Just a tiny bit.

**Author's Note:**

> tell me your thoughts please and thanks for reading ~


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